January 25th, 2012
Like it was on the DVD sales chart, there were three new releases to top the Blu-ray sales chart, although they finished in a slightly different order. Moneyball still led the way with 467,000 units / $9.74 million giving it an opening week Blu-ray share of 44%, which is excellent for a drama.
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January 24th, 2012
Moneyball led all new releases and the overall DVD sales chart with 601,000 units / $10.22 million during its first week of release.
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January 19th, 2012
The Blu-ray sales chart was both busy and slow this week. On the one hand, there were five new releases that charted this week, including three in the top ten. On the other hand, only one of those new releases, Contagion, did any significant business. It was able to sell 274,000 units while generating $4.93 million in revenue, giving it an opening week Blu-ray share of 40%. That's a very good share for a drama, but its overall home market run is disappointing.
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January 17th, 2012
There were five new releases to reach the top 30 on this week's DVD sales chart. This includes a new number one selling DVD, Contagion. The film sold 411,000 units during its first week of release generating $6.16 million.
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January 10th, 2012
There wasn't a lot of activity on this week's DVD sales chart. There were just two new releases that reached the top 30, neither of them reached the top five. In fact, there was only one film in the top five this week that was wasn't in the top five last week. The Hangover II remained in first place with 298,000 units / $2.96 million for the week giving it total sales of 2.91 million units / $38.35 million, after a month of release.
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January 6th, 2012
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 climbed into first place on the Blu-ray sales chart with 232,000 units / $4.63 million over the week for a total of 4.79 million units / $102.50 million after seven weeks of release. It became only the third Blu-ray to reach the $100 million milestone.
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January 4th, 2012
There were only four new releases to reach the top 30 on this week's DVD sales chart, and only one of those placed in the top five. The Hangover II rose to first place with 521,000 units / $5.20 million for the week and 2.26 million units / $31.22 million after three. This is barely more than half what the original sold during its first week of release.
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December 29th, 2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes led the way on the Blu-ray sales chart, but with only a few new releases that managed to chart, the overall sales were weak. Planet of the Apes sold 675,000 units generating $15.59 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 49%, which was good compared to the average of the format, but weak for the genre. Last minute Christmas sales may have resulted in deeper discounts for DVDs than Blu-rays, at least as a percentage, which could be a mitigating factor.
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December 27th, 2011
Only a trio of new releases were able to reach the top 30 on this week's DVD sales chart. However, this includes the top two spots. Rise of the Planet of the Apes earned first place with 716,000 units / $13.46 million. It's opening was a little weaker than we would like to see when compared to its theatrical run, but it should be better on Blu-ray.
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December 21st, 2011
The Hangover II was the first of three new releases on top of this week's Blu-ray sales chart, selling 951,000 units while generating $16.89 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 42%, which was good for a comedy.
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December 20th, 2011
New releases took four or five of the top five spots on the DVD sales chart this week. (The Smurfs is a bit of a complicated case, but more on that in a second.) First place went to The Help with 1.75 million units sold generating $29.78 million in revenue.
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December 6th, 2011
I hate this time for year, because of the holidays. Due to the five-day Thanksgiving long weekend and the Christmas shipping rush, screeners are even more likely to arrive late. Most of the prime releases I'm supposed to review are still on route. It makes it hard to keep up to date on reviews, plus it makes it really hard to figure out what the Pick of the Week should be. The Help is in contention, but I want to see the Blu-ray first. In the end, I went with the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Extended Trilogy Box Set on Blu-ray.
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July 13th, 2011
Transformers: Dark of the Moon repeated as champion on the international stage with $94.70 million on 11,222 screens in 58 markets for a total of $386.43 million internationally and $647.51 million worldwide. At this pace, by this weekend it will be ahead of Transformers and will have no trouble becoming the biggest hit in the franchise. As for individual markets, it earned the most in South Korea where it was down just 31% to $15.11 million on 1,301 screens over the weekend for a total of $54.47 million after two. It became the fastest film to reach $50 million in that market. It wasn't able to hold on as well in the U.K. down 56% to $7.58 million on 522 screens over the weekend for a total of $31.45 million after two. In Australia it was down 43%, which at first glance seems strong, but it was a holiday weekend in that market and half the films in the top five saw growth. It still added $7.52 million on 596 screens over the weekend for a running tally of $29.13 million, which is stronger than its performance, given the relative size of the two markets. The film fell 56% in Russia, which isn't bad compared to the average drop-off in that market. It managed $7.47 million on 1,385 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $36.03 million.
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July 6th, 2011
Transformers: Dark of the Moon earned top spot on the international chart, which came as no surprise. However, it did so in impressive fashion with $154.93 million on 11,565 screens in 58 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $219.81 million. This is the best international debut for Paramount topping the previous champion, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Its biggest opening came in South Korea where it scored $21.82 million on 1,442 screens over the weekend for a total opening of 31.09 million. It was also tops in Russia with $16.95 million on 1,385 screens over the weekend and $21.97 million in total. It earned $17.30 million on 521 screens in the U.K. and $16.18 million on 595 in Australia, including midweek numbers. It also cracked $10 million in Germany with $15.29 million on 617, including midweek numbers, and in Mexico with $10.81 million on 2,097 screens.
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June 29th, 2011
In a battle of digitally animated sequels, Cars 2 came out on top with $39.23 million on 4,873 screens in 25 markets for a total opening of $43.98 million. Its best market was Russia where it opened in first place with $9.42 million on 950 screens. By comparison, the original Cars made $4 million in that market, in total. The film was also very strong in Mexico with $8.08 million on 1,981 screens and in Brazil with $5.29 million on 747 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $7.04 million. The film had to deal with direct competition in Australia, but still came out on top with $5.13 million. The final major market it debuted in was Italy, where it earned $3.86 million on 834 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.71 million. Overall, the film more than doubled the debuts of Cars in the markets it opened in, while it was on par with Toys 3's openings. Granted, it likely won't have the same legs, but this is still a great start.
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June 22nd, 2011
Kung Fu Panda 2 remained in top spot on the international chart with $58.16 million on 11,244 screens in 54 markets for totals of $284.22 million internationally and $427.89 million worldwide. The film opened in France and Germany with nearly identical results with $6.91 million on 725 screens in the former and $6.91 million on 699 screens in the latter. (The result in Germany does include some previews.) So far the film has made an estimated $77 million in China, which is by far the film's biggest market.
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June 20th, 2011
The overall box office box office this past weekend was as expected, more or less. A few of the films did a little bit better, a few missed expectations, but not by a lot. This helped the box office grow by 11% from last weekend to $153 million. Unfortunately, this weekend last year saw the release of Toy Story 3, which made $110 million by itself, so year-over-year there was a 23% drop-off. Year-to-date, 2011 is behind 2010 by 8% at $4.65 billion to $5.03 billion, but perhaps we can close that gap a little bit this coming weekend.
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June 16th, 2011
After a strong start to the summer, which actually began in late April, we could hit a real roadblock this weekend. The only film earning any kind of buzz is Green Lantern, and not all of that buzz is good. Additionally, this weekend last year was dominated by Toy Story 3, which opened with $110 million. There is a chance the top five films won't make that much this year.
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June 15th, 2011
Kung Fu Panda 2 climbed into top spot on the international chart after three weeks of release, earning $56.72 million on 11,867 screens in 45 markets for a total of $206.11 million internationally and $332.92 million worldwide. This past weekend the film debuted in a number of major markets, led by the U.K. where it made $10.07 million on 514 screens, but while this was enough for first place in the market, it was less than the original made. On the other hand, it showed growth in Mexico with $7.34 million on 1,841 screens over the weekend and a total opening of $14.69 million, and in Brazil with $4.79 million on 714 screens over the weekend and $5.18 million in total. The film opens in France and Germany next weekend and Japan and Italy in August, so it still has quite a way to go before its international run is over.
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June 13th, 2011
Nearly every film in the top five beat Thursday's predictions, and the one film that didn't landed within a rounding error of doing so. This helped the overall box office reach $138 million for the weekend, but while this was better than expected, it was still 14% lower than last weekend and 9% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2011 is behind 2010 by 7% at $4.43 billion to $4.76 billion, but this is better than it has been for the majority of the year.
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June 9th, 2011
After X-Men: First Class opened on the low end of expectations last weekend, it is even more important that Super 8 carries its weight this weekend if 2011 is to continue its winning ways. Even if Super 8 does land on the high end of expectations, it might not be enough, as this weekend last year saw the release of The Karate Kid, which was a surprise hit that opened with $55 million.
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June 8th, 2011
I think it is not unfair to call Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides a disappointment domestically, as it seems very likely that it won't match its hefty production budget, while it is practically guaranteed it will be the weakest installment in the franchise. On the other hand, the film is breaking records internationally. This weekend it tied the record for the fastest film to reach $600 million internationally, which was previously set by Avatar at just 19 days. It also became the fastest to reach $700 million worldwide at 16 days. This weekend its haul was down to $70.78 million on 15,962 screens in 69 markets for a total of $601.58 million internationally and $791.78 million worldwide, but that was enough to earn first place for the third weekend in a row. The film's biggest market of the weekend was Japan where it made $8.63 million on 802 screens, giving it a total of $62.75 million after just three weeks of release.
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June 6th, 2011
It wasn't exactly a disappointing weekend at the box office, but we did see the overall box office fall closer to the low end of expectations. With $160 million over the weekend, the box office was down 28% from the Friday-through-Sunday portion of the Memorial Day long weekend. However, it was up 24% from this weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2011 now has pulled in $4.23 billion, compared to $4.55 billion for last year. 2011 is still in a massive hole, but at least there's a chance we can close the gap, while reaching $10 billion in total for the year has become a lot more likely.
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June 5th, 2011
2011 continued its winning streak at the box office this weekend, with five films topping $10 million and X-Men: First Class posting a very respectable $56 million opening, according to Fox's Sunday estimate. With the studio setting expectations a little lower than that, they can claim an excellent weekend. And they do have a point, but the truth is that this is the worst opening for a movie in the franchise since the first movie arrived in 2000 (and the latest film's estimate is only ahead by a couple of million dollars, so it might not even beat that mark). Excellent reviews and peak Summer business should help the film over the next few weeks, but it can't afford a 60% decline next weekend.
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June 2nd, 2011
After a record-breaking Memorial Day long weekend, the industry is hoping to maintain that momentum throughout the summer. There's only one wide release to deal with this weekend, X-Men: First Class, but most analysts expect it to earn more than the four wide releases earned in total this weekend last year. Add in stronger holdovers, and every indication says there should be a solid win for 2011 in the year-over-year comparison.
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June 2nd, 2011
The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides, held off a pair of sequels on the international chart with $122.8 million on 18,000 screens in 65 markets for a total of $470.8 million internationally and $623.7 million worldwide. It tied the record for fastest film to reach $600 million worldwide, which was previously set by At World's End at 12 days. Its biggest single market of the weekend was Japan, where it was down just 8% from its opening weekend with $13.75 million on 800 screens over the weekend for a total of $44.57 million after two. It also cracked $10 million in Germany ($11.16 million on 820 screens for a total of $35.26 million) and in Russia ($10.62 million on 1716 screens over a total of 49.87 million). At this pace, it is likely that the film has already topped the final figure for Curse of the Black Pearl, while $600 million internationally and $900 million worldwide is not out of the question.
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June 1st, 2011
It was another amazing week on the per theater chart as The Tree of Life led the way with an average of $93,230 in four theaters. This represents the best per screen average for the director and for the distributor. Add in reviews that might be Oscar-worthy, and the film should expand over the coming weeks / months. Speaking of expanding, and Oscar -worthy reviews, Midnight in Paris saw its theater count grow from 6 to 58, while its per theater average held on strong at $33,268. The overall number one film, The Hangover 2, was next with an average of $23,775, while Kung Fu Panda 2 was the only other film to cross the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart with an average of $12,142.
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May 31st, 2011
Records were broken on Memorial Day long weekend, which makes the weekend one to remember. Ironic then that the biggest hit of the weekend was a film about people who can't remember the night before. Yes, The Hangover 2 easily took top spot, while Kung Fu Panda 2 was disappointingly far behind. On the other hand, it still earned more than last year's number one film, Shrek Forever After, so it at least pulled its weight. Overall, the three-day box office was a very healthy $223 million, or 33% more than last weekend and 47% more than the same weekend last year. Over four days, the box office pulled in $277 million, or 44% more than last year. Those figures were both records for biggest Memorial Day long weekend ever, crushing 2007's offering by $22 million. Year-to-date, 2011 now has $4.02 billion and has cut the gap with 2010 to just over 8% at $4.38 billion. If the rest of the summer is as strong as May was, we could be in good shape going into the fall.
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May 29th, 2011
The Hangover: Part II is set to earn $86.48 million over the three-day weekend, according to estimates released by Warner Bros. on Sunday. That puts it on track to top $100 million in just four days, and will be the biggest ever weekend for a comedy, barring an unexpected collapse on Sunday. Kung Fu Panda 2 is set to earn $48 million Friday-Sunday, which is a slightly disappointing result, but it should do very well on Memorial Day and is likely to enjoy a strong few weeks until the arrival of Cars 2 on June 24.
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May 26th, 2011
It's Memorial Day long weekend, which is one of the most important weekends of the year. Not only is it one of the most lucrative, but it can help set the tone for the rest of summer. 30 million people going to theaters, each seeing countless posters, trailers, etc. for upcoming releases is a boon for the marketing for those film. This is why when both new releases failed to make an impact last year, it was such a devastating result. This time around, there are two sequels opening, Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Hangover 2, both of which should earn more individually than Sex and the City 2 and Prince of Persia earned combined. There's a slim chance one will dominate the other, but in that case, the overall box office should still be a large step up from last year. But the best case scenario has both of them becoming monster hits, and that would have a positive effect on the rest of the box office for weeks to come.
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May 1st, 2011
Summer is officially upon us and after a depressing start to the year, we finally have some reason to be optimistic. April produced a few films that were stronger than expected and the last three weekends have produced wins in the year-over-year comparison. Granted, 2011 is a long way from matching 2010's pace, but if we can earn a few more wins this month, we could be in good shape going forward. In comparison with last May, the month starts off slowly this year, but comes on really strong by the end and looks much healthier overall. In fact, last May there were only three films to make more than $100 million at the box office. (Granted, two others came very close.) This year there are four films that might open with more than $100 million. Right now 2010 has about a $500 million lead on 2011, but hopefully by the end of the month that lead will be down to $300 million.
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